Clark County's last voters waited five hours after polls closed, and state officials are weighing what to change

What happened

Hundreds of Nevada voters stood in line for hours to vote in last week's general election, The Nevada Independent reported. At Brinley Middle School in Las Vegas, the last polling place open in the state, the final ballot went in just before midnight, five hours after polls closed at 7 p.m.

The outlet's analysis found the last vote came more than two hours later than in any of the previous six general elections. Because Nevada law bars releasing results until everyone in line at closing has voted, Nevada was the last state to report initial results this year, behind Hawaii and Alaska.

Voters in line

Breanna Lareese Butler, 36, came to Brinley straight from her shift at United Healthcare and learned she faced a three-hour wait on a cold night, according to the Independent. "It had to be done in order for us to vote and have our voices heard," she told the outlet.

Briseyda Jaimes, 21, left the Las Vegas City Hall site around 1 p.m. with her 14-month-old daughter after waiting more than an hour. Voting records show she came back later that day and cast her ballot, the outlet reported.

Why the lines were so long

The Independent pointed to several likely causes. These included a long Clark County ballot that took in-person voters time and research to finish, limited public awareness of which poll sites were available, and county officials misjudging when and where people would vote. Turnout was in line with recent elections, the outlet noted.

The long ballot

Clark County Registrar Lorena Portillo said voters faced an especially long ballot because all 58 district court judge contests were on it, which happens every six years. The Independent noted that in 2020, the last time all those judgeships were on the ballot, results came hours earlier, though turnout that year was lower because of the pandemic.

Ted Allen, a University of Massachusetts, Amherst professor and former election official, told the outlet that ballots should be timed in advance so sites with longer ballots get more resources. His research indicates people waiting in line leave at a rate of 2 percent to 4 percent per hour.

Turnout and machines

Portillo credited voter "excitement" on election night and later cited high turnout. The Independent reported that Election Day participation in Clark County was lower than in the 2024 general election and only slightly above the most recent midterm. Portillo said the number of voting machines "was sufficient" based on past turnout, though the county had less information about demand at a new site like Brinley.

County spokesperson Jennifer Cooper said in a statement that the county cannot add voting machines when additional power sources are not available.

What officials are saying

After the last ballot was cast, Portillo said "there were no issues," and the next day she described the lines as "unfortunate." The county did not make her available for an interview, the Independent said. Trey Hood, a University of Georgia political science professor, told the outlet it was the longest wait time he had heard of this cycle.

State review of the results law

Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said he wants to look more closely at the law that holds results until the line clears, noting the attention Nevada will draw during its early Democratic presidential primary in 2028. "It's a policy discussion and a conversation that needs to be had," he told the Independent. He also said the state should look at the funding it provides county election offices.

Possible fixes

Cooper's statement said the county will explore ways to shorten in-person wait times, including seeking more community partnerships for new voting sites and forecasting voter volume. Speaking about Brinley, Portillo told reporters that voters "do like that site" and that the county will adjust.

Aguilar said specific changes depend largely on who chairs the legislative committees that handle election policy, which is not yet known, and on the priorities of Gov.-elect Aaron Ford. Find more coverage on our elections page.

What to watch next

• Who will chair the legislative committees that govern election policy, which remains unknown.
• Whether state officials move to revisit the law barring release of results until the last voter in line has voted.
• Clark County's efforts to add community partnerships for voting sites and forecast voter volume.
• Gov.-elect Aaron Ford's priorities on election policy and state funding for county election offices.